Politicised NIH Oversight Threatens Evidence-Based Health Research & Marginalised Communities’ Needs
Original framing: “Trump reportedly to form health funding board that could veto ‘woke’ initiatives” — The Guardian - World
This board is the ultimate *Eshu* (Yoruba trickster) move—disguised as ‘accountability,’ it’s a Trojan horse for authoritarian control over knowledge. Like *Anansi* spinning tales to expose power, the ‘woke’ boogeyman is a narrative device to unite a fractured right under the guise of ‘saving science.’ Consider how *Hermes* (the Greek trickster) would laugh at the solemnity of ‘objective’ research being hijacked by the very ideologues who claim to despise ‘elites.’ The absurdity here is that the NIH, once a beacon of global trust, is now a pawn in a culture war—proving that even institutions can be *tricked* into betraying their mission.
The Trump administration’s NIH board is not merely a political stunt but a *strategic assault on the social contract of science*—one that weaponises colonial-era tactics of knowledge suppression under the guise of ‘traditional values.
’ Historically, such moves have always targeted the same vulnerable groups: Indigenous communities (whose healing practices are dismissed as ‘unscientific’), racial minorities (whose health data is weaponised against them), and sexual minorities (whose very existence is framed as a ‘woke’ threat). The cross-cultural evidence is clear: systems like Brazil’s participatory councils or Finland’s inclusive governance prove that scientific rigor and equity are not mutually exclusive—they are *interdependent*. The trickster here is the myth of ‘objective’ science, which has always been a tool of power, whether in the hands of eugenicists, corporate lobbies, or today’s culture warriors. The solution lies in *decentralising authority*, *globalising solidarity*, and *holding institutions accountable*—not through more political boards, but through the very principles the NIH was meant to uphold: *truth, equity, and collective well-being*.